


The Ones Left Behind

by DesertVixen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 21:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6628183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertVixen/pseuds/DesertVixen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leia's musings about her relationship with Threepio.  Set sometime between the end of ROTJ and TFA, closer to TFA.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ones Left Behind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [possibilityleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/gifts).



Sometimes it seemed to Leia that Threepio was the only one who had not abandoned her. His fussy preoccupation with niceties might drive her crazy sometimes, but at least she knew he was there.  


That counted for something.

So many others had left her, or had been taken from her. Yet she could always count on Threepio to be there, reminding her of the schedule and ensuring that none of General Organa’s many responsibilities were unfilled. As a bonus, she could count on his officious manner to deter casual visitors from disturbing her privacy. 

In some ways, Threepio reminded her of the life she might have lived, in a universe with no Rebellion, no Death Stars, no scruffy nerf-herders, no twin brothers – none of the people who had come to mean so much to her. Leia found that even with everything that had happened, she was still happy to have had this life. There had been no shortage of pain, but she had experienced joys and triumphs as well. Threepio would have been suited to that other life, but Leia found that she could not imagine this one without him, either.

In return, she tried to schedule a social function now and then – something that would require Threepio to shuffle guest lists in order to avoid ruffled feathers, plan a menu as elaborate as their circumstances would allow, and transform ugly and utilitarian spaces for a magical few hours. Sometimes she would make a last-minute change just to give him a challenge. 

Leia always made it a point to thank him for “helping” plan the event. It would be more honest to define her own role as “helping”, or simply choosing from the menu of too-many options he always generated. She knew how much a few words meant to her golden friend. Communication – as he rarely lost the chance to remind people, he was fluent in over six million forms – was Threepio’s lifeblood. Warm words were the only form of payment that really meant anything to him.

He had performed many tasks for her, but most of all, he had been there.

Sometimes, seeing him reminded her that she was not the only one who had suffered. Threepio had been left behind as well. Leia might sleep and wake alone, might find the loneliness oppressive, but at least she didn’t have to see the shell of Luke or Han or Ben on a constant basis. If Artoo’s small metal presence haunted her, reminded her of more innocent days, she could only imagine how seeing Artoo affected Threepio.

Leia knew he missed Artoo, even if Threepio had not chosen to withdraw into the silence of stasis mode. It was understandable – Artoo had always been more focused on Luke than anyone else – but it was still painful. She could almost understand why Luke had left all of them after what had happened, but she still could not believe that Luke had abandoned the small droid. Maybe he had seen it as a kindness, or maybe it had been just another bad decision. 

She hoped that one day, Artoo would decide it was time to come back out. Leia knew that Threepio would wait as long as it took.

She wasn’t the only one who had been left behind. 

Perhaps it was time to plan another social function, Leia mused. Surely finding a reason would not be too hard…

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this! I had a good time writing it.


End file.
